Paper cutter



y 1966 E. B. SCHOONMAKER ETAL 3,250,165

PAPER CUTTER Filed Nov. 27, 1963 2 Sheets-$heet 1 EDWARD B. $CH00/VMA/(ER ROBERT E. COSSABOO/V INVENTORS y 1966 E. B. SCHOONEMAKER ETAL 3,250,165

' PAI ER CUTTER Filed Nov. 27, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EDWARD 8. SCHOONMAKER ROBERT E. COSSABOO/V BY gujVVEN iORS Wa2% ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,250,165 PAPER CUTTER Edward B. Schoonmaker and Robert E. Cossaboon,

Rochester, N.Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 326,533 9 Claims. (Cl. 83203) The present invention relates to a device for severing sheet material. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved device for cutting a length of material from a supply thereof and for directing the new end from the supply into a given path.

Although the present invention can be used in numerous types of apparatus, it is described herein, for purposes of illustration, as adapted for use in a microfilm reader-printer in which a predetermined length of print material is severed from a supply roll during each printing cycle. The reader-printer encloses a supply roll of photosensitive print material. The operator, after locating on the reader screen an image of which a print is desired, actuates the printing cycle by depressing a button to energize the controlling electrical circuit. A predetermined length-of the photosensitive material is guided into the exposure area over the print platen of the apparatus, a mirror covering the exposure area is moved so as to reflect the projectedimage onto the material on the print platen, and an exposure of the image is made on said predetermined length. The exposed length of print material is severed from the supply roll and is then directed into the processor section of the apparatus and from the processor into the hands of the operator by a sheet feeding mechanism within the apparatus.

The severing device of the present invention comprises a novel resilient mounting by means of which traveling point contact between the severing blades is assured during severing movement of the blades. In addition the severing device of the present invention comprises means for directing back into a given path, the leading end of the material from which a length has been severed.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for severing material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved strip material severing mechanism which provides a positive severing action and which is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters denote like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the severing device of the present invention as it can be used in a readerprinter apparatus;

, FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view further illustrating the severing device;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view in section illustrating the overlapping relation of the blades after a strip has been severed; and

FIG. .5 is a section view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the projection reader-printer mechanism comprises an internal housing 11. A section of the print material M is moved by a suitable feeding mechanism over a print platen 12 on which the print material is exposed, and through the processor pick-up rollers 13. A mirror 14 is mounted in a frame 15 which is secured to side mounting plates 16. The mirror 14 is rotated about shaft 17 to uncover the print platen 12 prior to print exposure. The mirror in the position indicated by dashed line 18 intercepts the projected image and directs the same on to the print material M then disposed on the platen 12,

On each side of the housing 11, a slotted link 19 is slidably attached by means of a pin through the slot in the link to the mounting plates 16. The links 19 are also rotatably mounted at 21 to a flexible U-shaped frame 27 of the cutting device hereinafter described so that counterclockwise rotational movement of mirror 14 raises the frame 27 and severs from the supply the length of print material then resting on the printing platen 12.

The severing mechanism of the present invention comprises an upper cutter blade 23 which is fixed on the frame 11 above the path along which the material M moves, and a lower cutter blade 25 which is secured across the open end of a U-shaped frame 27. The U- shaped frame is mounted at its mid point on a fixed plate 29 which is rigidly secured to the housing 11. Blade 23 is angularly disposed from vertical as shown in FIG. 4 and is arranged diagonally transverse of the material as shown in FIG. 1. For simplicity and clarity, angular relationship of blade 23 to other parts of the device is exaggerated in the drawings. As a result of this mounting arrangement, the blades are completely interchangeable and reversible so that each blade has a total of four cutting edges.

In the open blade position a portion of movable blade 25 is located in back of (as viewed in FIG. 1) and has point contact with the cutting edge of fixed blade 23. As a result of the links 19 being fixed lower on plate 16 on one side of the housing 11 than on the other side, the movable blade 25 forms a V as shown in FIG. 3 with the fixed blade 23. Thus during a severing stroke the apex of the V travels along the fixed blade, As the movable blade 25 is raised frame 27 flexes in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the frame, around plate 29. Simultaneously, because of the angular disposition of fixed blade 23 transversely of the direction of movement of the material M, the frame 27 flexes longitudinally so that the remaining portion of movable blade 25 can pass along (i.e. in back of) the fixed blade. As a result of mounting the blades in the aforementioned manner the planes of the cutting blades are tilted with respect to each other during the severing operation. Therefore during the severing operation as the movable blade 25 passes across fixed blade 23, continuously moving tensioned point contact between the respective cutting edges is resiliently maintained.

In the open position, the overlapping portions of the movable and fixed blades at the apex of the V (see FIG. 3) is under slight tension as applied by the right (as viewed in FIG. 1) leg of the U frame 27. The other or left leg is almost tension free at the start of a cutting cycle since that portion of the movable blade 25 is not in contact with the fixed blade and is free to pivot forward under the fixed blade 23. As the cutting action progresses, i.e., the apex of the V between the blades moves to the right as shown in FIG. 5, the remaining portion of the movable blade begins to pass in back of the fixed blade and the left leg of the frame 27 is tensioned as a result of its deflection thereby maintaining an engaging force at the contact point of the blades. Thus the described mounting of the cutter blades provides for point contact as the shear like action progresses along the length of the blades in the cutting operation.

When the severing operation is completed and the blades are in overlapping position as shown in FIG. 5, the new leading end of the supply roll, because of inherent curl in the material and the lifting thereof by the movable blade, is temporarily deflected out of its path of movement between the blades and into a position adjacent to the cutter blade 23 as shown in FIG. 4. A guiding mechanism 33 is attached to movable frame 27 by supporting legs 35 and 37 and forms an opening through which the material M passes when it is fed between blades 23 and 25 such that the material is restrained by the guiding mechanism prior to, during and following the severing operation so that proper material feed is assured.

After the severing operation and as movable blade 25 is being lowered out of overlapping relation from fixed blade 23, guide 33 returns the leading end of the material from the supply roll back into the original path for subsequent feeding under the fixed blade 23 and onto print platen 12.

The flexible frame 27 is subject to side motion if the frame is not laterally restrained, particularly in the vicinity of the cutting blade. Therefore channel guide 33 is provided with extensions .39 and 41 which restrain lateral motion of the frame by acting against the respective extensions 43 and 45 of a light baflie 47 which is attached to fixed blade 23. As illustrated in FIG. 2, extensions 39 and 41 which are L-shaped also control the size of the opening between the blades 23 and 25 as a result of engagement against the top edge of the fixed blade 23.

At the completion of a severing operation the blades occupy the position shown in FIG. 5. In this position, one side of the lower edge of movable blade 25 is above the path of travel of the print material and an opening exists between the platen and a portion of theblade. If left uncovered this opening could allow the curled cut edge of the material M from the supply to slide off of and under the movable blade. This would result in the mutilation of the leading edge from the supply when the movable blade 25 is lowered. Thereafter, a feeding jam of the print material during thesubsequent operation of the apparatus might occur. Accordingly, an extension 49 is provided on frame 27 to cover the opening. Alternatively, the flat side dimension of blade 25 could be increased sufficiently to cover the opening; however this would complicate interchangeability of the blades and increase the cost of the 1 severing device.

It will be appreciated that the disclosed severing device represents a valuable improvement in the art. Uniformly tensioned point contact between the cutting edges is achieved with an inexpensive sheet metal mounting frame which does not have burdensome alignment or adjustment requirements. It is preferred to use for the U-shaped frame a steel which is sufficiently flexible to be resiliently deflected around the plate 29 during the severing movement of the cutter blades so that a positive and efficient cutting action is achieved. For example, a cold rolled steel frame would be flexed well within its elastic limit and would automatically return blade 25 to its position under the fixed blade 23 as shown in FIG. 3 after completion of a severing operation and upon lowering the mirror 14, thereby eliminating any need for an auxiliary return drive mechanism. However, it should be noted that because the frame 27 flexes through only a relatively small angle, many other materials are sufiiciently resilient to be suitable for forming the frame.

The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claims.

Having now particularly described our invention, what we. desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what we claim is:

1. A sheet material severing mechanism for use in apparatus having means for moving the material along a predetermined path, said mechanism comprising:

(a) a first blade having a first cutting edge and being disposed on one side of said path in fixed, substantial- 1y transverse relation thereto;

(b) a second movable blade having a second cutting edge;

(c) a resilient U-shaped frame having said second blade attached across the open end thereof, a portion of the side opposite said open end of said frame being rigidly affixed to said apparatus in a manner such that said second cutting edge is normally disposed on the side of said path opposite said one side and is inclined at an angle to and partially overlaps said first edge in point contact therewith;

((1) moving means for applying force to flex said resilient frame around said portion of said side so as to move said second blade toward said one side of said path so that said second cutting edge moves in traveling point contact across said first cutting edge to sever material disposed between the blades; and

(e) the resiliency of said frame automatically returning the second blade to said opposite side of said path upon release of said flexing force by said moving means.

2. A mechanism in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising guide member attached to said frame and extending at least partially around a portion of said path adjacent said blades so as to direct a severed end of the sheet material within said guide member into the original path between the blades.

3. A mechanism in accordance with claim 1 and wherein said first blade is mounted diagonally transverse to the material in said path and said opposite side of the frame flexes relative to said apparatus to allow the second blade to pass in overlapping relation to the first blade during movement by the moving means.

4. A sheet material severing mechanism for use in a projection printer apparatus in which print material is moved along a predetermined path and in which a mirror assembly is moved into and from a position to intercept and refiect the projected image onto said material, said mechanism comprising:

(a) a first blade having a first Cutting edge and being fixedly mounted on one side of said path in a substantially transverse position thereto;

(b) a second movable blade substantially similar in size and shape to the first blade and having a second cutting edge;

(c) a resilient U-shaped frame having said second blade attached across an open end thereof, a portion of the side opposite saidopen end of said frame being fixedly secured to said apparatus in a manner such that said second cutting edge is disposed on the side of said path opposite said one side, and is inclined at an angle to and partially overlaps said first edge in point contact therewith;

(d) means coupling said frame to said mirror assembly 'so as to flex said frame about-said opposite side in a direction substantially perpendicular to said path simultaneously with and in response to the movement of said mirror assembly into intercepting position; and

(e) whereby said second cutting edge is moved in overlapping traveling point contact across said first cutting edge to sever the material disposed between the blades and the resiliency of said frame automatically returns the second blade to said opposite side of said path upon movement of the mirror assembly from said intercepting position.

5. A sheet material severing mechanism for use in an apparatus having means for feeding the material along a predetermined path, said mechanism comprising:

(a) a fixedly mounted blade having a first cutting edge which is disposed adjacent said path and extends substantially transversely across the width of said path,

(b) a movable blade having a second cutting edge and being disposed on the opposite side of the plane of movement of material along said path from said fixedly mounted blade and in cutting relation to said fixedly mounted blade,

(0) a flexible mounting means having a base and two leg portions formed in a U-shape, and being attached at the end of each of said leg portions to said movable blade and being rigidly attached to said apparatus at a portion of said base so as to position said movable blade in overlapping tensioned engagement with said fixedly mounted blade for resiliently maintaining a point contact between said cutting edges,

(d) an aligning means in contact with at least one of said leg portions for preventing movement of said second blade in a direction width wise of said path, and

(e) means engaging at least one of said leg portions for flexing said mounting means in a direction such that said second cutting edge is moved across said first edge in traveling point contact to sever material disposed between said blades.

6. A mechanism as described in claim 5 wherein said rigidly attached portion of the base is small with respect to the total length of said base and said moving means includes holding means pivotally attached at points on each of said legs for holding said mounting means so as to dispose the cutting edge of said movable blade at an angle with respect to the cutting edge of said fixedly mounted blade.

7. A mechanism in accordance with claim 5 further comprising guide means extending from said mounting means and having at least a portion thereof opposite said (b) a second elongated movableiblade disposed below and substantially normally to said path and having the cutting edge thereof disposed in a substantially transverse position with respect to said path and at an angle with respect to the cutting edge of said first blade;

(c) a flexible mount having a base and two leg portions formed in a U-shape, being attached at the end of said leg portions to said second blade and being rigidly attached to said apparatus at a portion of said base substantially midway between said leg portions so as to lie generally in a plane parallel to said path;

(d) at least a portion of said second blade overlapping said first blade and at least one leg of said mount being extended in tension by the portion of said second blade which overlaps said first blade;

(e) means pivotably attached to each of said leg portions of said mount for moving said second blade in a direction substantially perpendicular to said path; and

(f) whereby the cutting edge of said second blade is moved in a traveling point contact across said first blade to sever material therebetween.

9. A mechanism as in claim 8 wherein said means for moving said second blade also holds said U-shaped mount so as to dispose the cutting edge of said second blade at said angle with respect to the cutting edge of said first blade and further comprising an aligning means in contact with at least one leg of said mount for limiting movement of said second blade in a direction transverse of said path.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 627,758 6/1899 McKeever 836l1 856,719 6/1907 Nagle 83694 2,836,241 5/1958 Fritzinger 83611 ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner. 

